Where to Stay on a Journey Through Switzerland

The UNESCO protected Lavaux hillside vineyard is the largest contiguous vineyard region in Switzerland.

With options ranging from traditional to contemporary and with many offering some of the most picturesque positions on the Continent, Switzerland’s five star hotels are a lesson in luxury. Here’s where to stay on a journey through this spectacular country…

Recently opened high above Lake Lucerne, this famous patch of mountain turf, a celebrity summer playground in the 1950s, is reborn with four hotels, a vast spa and an alp-view infinity pool. The flagship new-build Bürgenstock Hotel affords gorgeous views from all 102 rooms; and just getting here, via ferry and funicular, is half the fun.

Any hotel dating from the 17th century is likely to claim a diverting guestbook and this one’s a doozy: Picasso, Joyce, Wagner, Dickens, Dylan (as in Bob), with Napoleon hosting the property’s first “business” lunch. Overlooking the Rhine in the heart of urbane Basel, the 101-room Le Trois Rois may be a plush homage to the Belle Epoque but it’s also very cosy, and the food comes with three Michelin stars.

With a glamorous facelift a decade ago courtesy of Britain’s Lord Norman Foster, this 173-room “city resort” has two contemporary wings wrapped around the original fairytale castle, and an extraordinary museum-quality art collection. Founded as a health spa a century ago, the Dolder maintains its serious commitment to wellness.

Chalet chic with a 21st-century attitude, The Chedi Andermatt is located in the lovely heart of the Swiss Alps. European elegance is overlaid with an Asian aesthetic; the day spa is a knockout, as are the mountain views from the swimming pool; 123 spacious guestrooms come with warm timber trim, fireplaces and comfort to spare.

The hotel’s setting is postcard perfect, tucked between two lakes at the foot of the majestic snow-capped Jungfrau massif. Gilded interiors hark back to the golden age of trave, but the Victoria-Jungfrau’s 216 guestrooms are more contemporary in mood and include stylish digs tucked away above the wellness spa, one of the loveliest in Switzerland.

An exemplar of gold standard Swiss hospitality for more than 150 years – just saying the name makes you feel cashed up – the legendary Beau-Rivage Palace nestles on the banks of Lake Geneva in gardens that might be on the Med. The 168 pastel-hued, Pierre-Yves Rochon-designed guestrooms sparkle with light; the two-Michelin-starred fine diner is headed by superstar chef Anne-Sophie Pic.